The field of robotics deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing. These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition.
There has been some effort to create machines that assist or extend human capability. The field of robotics has developed many technologies and methods for sensing and manipulating external objects. This has proven useful in many areas, including augmenting or replacing humans doing dangerous, difficult, precise, or repetitive tasks. There is currently technology from robotics, computer vision, high energy-density battery systems, small robust high-performance computation, sophisticated wireless communication links, micro sensors for pressure, magnetism, orientation and acceleration, and widely available communication devices with displays and multiple sensors for input.
Tactile, touch and pressure sensing are human sensory features that are difficult to accurately and effectively emulate in machinery. Tactile sensing can be incorporated into feedback loops for robotic manipulators and actuators and integrated with other sensors to provide situational awareness and the ability to monitor, identify, grasp, and manipulate physical objects. For example data from vision, acceleration and tactile sensors can be fused in real-time to guide a robotic arm in grasping and moving delicate parts. However, tactile sensing approaches currently available to not provide the requisite level of sensing performance to enable at least the aforementioned applications.
A number of approaches to these sensing and data fusion challenges have been tried. The potential utility of current approaches can be considered from the perspective of their fundamental properties and implications for sensitivity, dynamic range and robustness. Presently, no commercial vendors claim robustness of their sensor packages across different environments. In some cases, operating temperature range is usually the sole robustness feature of these products.